Maple Roast Pumpkin Pie

From The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook (The Countryman Press, May 2013).

SERVES 8

It had never occurred to Claire Fitts, the owner of Butterfly Bakery, to use fresh pumpkin in baked goods when canned was so widely used, but a few years ago a friend of hers received a pumpkin from her CSA. They stared at the gourd-like squash for a while and then decided to give pie a try before the pumpkin went bad (with little hope for success). The results were amazing. Fitts has never gone back to using canned pumpkin for anything since.

This recipe produces more puree than you will need for the pie. You can store the remaining pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for several months. In a pinch, you can substitute 1 ½ cups of organic canned puree (just be sure not to use pie filling, which is spiced and sweetened). Serve the pie with vanilla or maple ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and strings and discard them. Place the pumpkin, open side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, transfer to a food processor, and process until smooth.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of the pumpkin puree, the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cloves until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie and bake, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly; serve warm or at room temperature.